Dobřichovice

Dobřichovice is a town in Prague-West District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 3,800 inhabitants.

Etymology
The initial name of the settlement was Dobrchovice. The name was derived from the personal name Dobrch, meaning "the village of Dobrch's people". Already in the 13th century, it was distored to Dobřichovice.

Geography
Dobřichovice is located about 14 km southwest of Prague. The northern part of the municipal territory is located in the Hořovice Uplands, the southern part in the Brdy Highlands. The highest point is the Dobřich hill at 523 m above sea level. The town lies on both banks of the Berounka River.

Climate
The town recorded the highest temperature ever in the Czech Republic on 20 August 2012, with the heat registering 40.4 °C.

History
The first written mention of Dobřichovice is from 6 April 1253, when it was donated to Knights of the Cross with the Red Star. With short breaks it was owned by this order throughout its existence. Dobřichovice Castle was built in the 16th century and rebuilt after a fire in 1779.

Due to its location, Dobřichovice often suffers from floods, the most destructive of which were in 1872, 1941 and 1947. Dobřichovice was also affected by 2002 European floods and more than 200 houses were severely damaged up to the ground floor. The flood also destroyed a 30-year-old footbridge which has since been replaced by a new one.

In 1876, Dobřichovice was promoted to a market town. Dobřichovice was proclaimed a town in 2006.

Transport
Dobřichovice is located on the railway line Prague–Beroun.

Sights
The Dobřichovice Castle retains its Baroque appearance from the 18th century. The castle Chapel of Saint Jude the Apostle next to the castle was built in 1679. Until 1948, the castle served as a summer residence of the grand masters of Knights of the Cross with the Red Star. Today it is owned again by the order and inaccessible to the public.

An architectural monument is the Villa Pellé. It was built in the Neoclassical style in 1882–1883. Among the owners of the village were General Maurice Pellé and the painter Zdenka Braunerová, who decorated the house with a wall painting with folk Moravian Slovak motifs.

Notable people

 * Ludvík Vaculík (1926–2015), writer; lived and died here
 * Lenka Kotková (born 1973), astronomer
 * Zuzana Čížková (born 1982), painter and sculptor; lives and works here

Twin towns – sister cities
Dobřichovice is twinned with:
 * 🇺🇸 Manhattan, United States
 * 🇫🇷 Villieu-Loyes-Mollon, France